History of Islam in Southeast Asia (Sejarah Islam di Asia Tenggara)

Module Description

Of the estimated 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, about 65 percent live in Asia. Some 250 million Muslims reside in Southeast Asia. While Muslims in this region may be a minority in the Muslim world, their role in shaping the future destiny of Islam is far from peripheral. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, Malaysia is a dynamic, modern Muslim country and Brunei is one of the world’s richest countries. Other than these three Muslim-majority countries, there are sizeable Muslim minorities in this region, including in Thailand, Philippines and Singapore, and other lesser known, smaller Muslim communities in Indochina, each with their own set of identities, aspirations and challenges.

This module will explain the geographical origins and sources by which Islam spread to this region, including the factors that helped shaped the content and contours of Islamic life amongst Muslims here. It will look at how religious belief and expression fit with extant and modern political and economic infrastructures. It will also look at the role of Singapore in the development of Islam in the region.

Module Objectives

This module aims to achieve the following learning objectives:

• To expose participants to the history and spread of Islam in the Southeast Asian region essentially and Singapore specifically.

• To highlight the main trends, realities and challenges of the historical developments as well as religious thought developments in a secular state.

• To expose participants to the role of Singapore in the development of Islam.

Module Outline (8 hours)

In this 8 hours module, participants will be covering the following topics:

• The Coming of Islam

• Manifestations of Islam and Islamic Thought

• Islam in Singapore: History and Development

• Islam in Singapore: Issues and Challenges

Payment should be made directly to the mosque.